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John F. Kennedy Space Center Americas gateway to the universe Spaceport News www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnews_toc.html For more about the space shuttle and Kennedy Space Center, go to www.nasa.gov Jan. 11, 2008 Vol. 48, No. 1 T he echo of launches long past reverberated at Ken nedy Space Center when the crew of 2xtreem Motor cycle TV showcased its specially decked-out Apollo Tribute Bike on Dec. 11. Joe Capicotti revved the ZX-14 as he roared out of the 2xtreem trailer. Frank Sinatras Fly Me to the Moon played over a custom component I-Pod stereo system as Capicotti circled the press sites lower parking lot before departing for the Shuttle Landing Facility. Capicotti is the owner of Dragonlake Productions, which produces the popular 2xtreem motorcycle program that airs on Sunsports, the Fox Sports Net ates, as well as DirecTV and Dish networks. Dressed in a racing suit remi complete with a custom painted helmet and gold shield, Capicotti presented the bike to the center. Capicotti described some of the cial operations manager, and John J. Tip Talone, associate program manager for the Constellation Program at Kennedy. We built this Apollo Tribute Bike to show the level of re spect, admiration and support the 2xtreem crew has for NASA, the Apollo program and all the people involved in the current space program, Capicotti said. We hope to assist in bringing back the magic of Apollo just in time for Orion. Talone said the bike is a won derful tribute to the legends that made Apollo possible. What a very unique and ef fective design that captures many vehicle, Talone said. It makes me proud to know that people have not forgotten what got us to where we are. Capicotti researched the Internet, his old space books and NASA materials to get all of the Apollo spacecraft facts correct. He and his team also visited Ken Many people do currentevent projects, but how can you forget Apollo, Capicotti said. I felt the time was right to do this tribute bike. The tribute bike has Saturn Vinspired paint and powder-coated wheels, LED lights, custom red instrument faces, a hand-fabri cated escape tower, a custom seat with NASA and Apollo patches, airbrushed NASA and Apollo emblems, ceramic high-perfor mance brakes and custom exhaust command modules. Large white spaces around the tank and seat are reserved for the signatures of Apollo astro nauts. The 2xtreem crew will take the bike on tour to major racing events through August. Apollo Tribute Bike roars through KSC By Linda Herridge Staff Writer 2Xtreem Motorcycle TV donated a custom Kawasaki ZX-14 to Kennedy Space Center as a tribute to the Apollo program. At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Apollo Tribute Bike reached speeds of up to 170 mph as crews lmed from a helicopter. The bike will tour the country through August. Troops get gift as STS-122 moves forward By Tanya Nguyen Staff Writer See STS-122 Page 8 K ennedy Space Center em ployees played Santa this holiday season as they made wishes come true for 15 stranded Army soldiers. Workers from NASA and Kennedys contractors raised $1,500 in donations for the sol diers to return home to celebrate festivities with their families. The soldiers were stuck in Port Canav eral after space shuttle Atlantis launch delays. Space shuttle program man agers said mission STS-122 could be ready for launch on Jan. 24 un der optimum conditions, but said an early February liftoff seemed more likely. NASA shuttle program deputy manager John Shannon said the launch date depends on the outcome of tests conducted on the fuel sensor system connector. The Army crew had arrived at the port aboard the Aldie, an Army landing craft utility vessel. The ship carries one of NASAs X-band radars for the upcoming STS-122 space mission to the International Space Station. The radar aboard the ship helps track the space shuttle during its climb into orbit. With a looming launch date and the Aldie grounded until the soldiers to return to their home port in Fort Eustis, Va., to spend a week with loved ones during the holidays. However, the funding We hope to assist in bringing back the magic of Apollo just in time for Orion. Joe Capicotti, owner, Dragonlake Productions

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Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS Jan. 11, 2008 Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Par sons presented the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundations Stellar Award to former Director Jim Kennedy. The Stellar Awards recognize outstanding individuals and teams from the industry and government who have made signicant contributions to the future of the nations space program. Kennedy earned the award for outstanding leadership and technical direction of NASAs pio neering space endeavors and the Vision for Space Exploration. Tip Talone, right, the former director of International Space Station Payload Processing, discusses STS-114 with Mission Commander Eileen Collins. Talone retired this month as the associate program manager for the Constellation Program at Kennedy. A quote that John J. Tip Talone Jr. keeps on dis My job is to stay out of the way. Its an example of the con he led through the years at the Kennedy Space Center. Talone re tired this month as the associate program manager for the Con stellation Program at Kennedy. His career spanned the history of the space programs most important achievements. One of Talones legacies is the impact he made through mentoring countless employees during his career. If you look at all of the foster their growth, the list is quite daunting, said Bill Dowdell, the centers technical operations director and chief of the Mission Among the people Talone inspired are Kennedy Director Bill Parsons, Marshall Space Flight Center Director David King and Langley Research Center Director Lesa Roe. He also mentored Philip Pepper Phillips, director of Kennedys Constellation Project Phillips father Don was Talones mentor as well. He left a trail of friends and admirers in his wake because wherever he went and whoever he met, they would always remember Tip, said Russell Romanella, director of the International Space Station/Payload Processing Direc torate. Talones organization plays a vital role in planning and creating the facilities, ground systems and launch-related operations needed for NASAs lunar/Mars human ex ploration program. He began this position in November 2005. He has played vital roles in NASAs history since beginning his career with the agency in 1965. Talone directed the Interna tional Space Station Hardware became the Station/Payloads Pro Kennedy luminary Tip Talone retires By Corey Schubert Staff Writer cessing Directorate. His organiza tion was responsible for preparing all shuttle payloads for launch. He served in various opera tions assignments in the Apollo lunar landing, Skylab and ApolloSoyuz Programs. After assignment to the Space Shuttle Program in 1976, he served as launch pad manager, shuttle operations integration man shuttles Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour, and as a special as sistant to the director of Kennedy Space Center. He sometimes used to pro voke the technical community Tip would threaten to install clocks in all of the engineers they would know that time was ticking away while they pondered, Dowdell said. Tip wanted to see action. Talones numerous awards over the years include two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, the Astronaut Corps Silver Snoopy Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the National Space Club Florida Committees 2004 Dr. Kurt H. Debus Award. Parsons presents Kennedy with Rotary Stellar Award If you look at all of the people he inuenced and helped foster their growth, the list is quite daunting. Bill Dowdell Kennedy Technical Operations Director

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SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3 Jan. 11, 2008 Members of the Kennedy Space Center team include, from left, Marc Seibert, Jim Mantovani, Jim Dumoulin, Rebecca Witt, Mike Miller and Tony Cu lotta. Seated on the rover are Dustin Gohmert and Brian Daniel. E very September, after the summer rains back off but before the mornings get too cold, a pack of RATS descends on the desert near Flagstaff, Ariz., to spend two weeks testing technologies that eventually will play a vital role in the future of space exploration. About 150 engineers and sci entists participate in the NASA program, known as Desert Re search and Technology Studies, or Desert RATS. The 10-year-old program is part of the agencys Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and involves groups from several NASA centers and universities. During the trip, they take advan tage of the variety of terrains to test new or improved equipment astronauts may use during excur sions on the moon. Testing projects range from computer hardware and software to spacesuits, rovers and astronaut habitats. Three teams from Kennedy Space Center make the trip: the communications/networking group, the cryogenics surface sys tems team and the surface physics group. Marc Seibert, a communica tions and networking engineer from Kennedy, has been attending the desert outings for six years. Seibert is part of the Kennedy Telescience Laboratory, which is responsible for video, voice, data, wired and wireless networking, and network security for the des ert test site. Since reliable com munications are essential and ev eryone needs communications at the test site, Telescience lab team duty in the morning and the last to leave each night. Our role in Desert RATS is to make sure everything can communicate, and make sure people back in the mission control building at Johnson Space Center can connect and interact with the test site, Seibert explained. One of the groups accomplishments during this Pack of Kennedy RATS descends on desert By Anna Heiney Staff Writer years test was a fourth-generation digital signal processor and audio system that dramatically raises the quality of the audio from spacesuit helmets. Although todays astronauts use a head-mounted system with noise-cancelling the microphones inside the suit helmet. over the wearers head and the resonance of the helmet can make an astronaut is saying. With the addition of the processor, most excess noise is removed and the audio is improved. Another helpful contribution from the Kennedy communications/networking group is a large semitrailer that is part habitat simulator and part control center. In the rear of the trailer, spacesuit stands allow crew members to practice suiting up and exiting in a lunar habitat. In front, a team of engineers interacts with the suited subjects and monitors and controls the software on the suits and rovers. This year, the group provided aggregate wireless through nearby Mount Elden in Flagstaff. At future outings, the group plans to demonstrate a lunar delay simulator that allows team members to selectively insert a control. An example would be mimicking the delay between a lunar rover and mission control. The interactivity, cooperation and rehearsals between the Desert RATS teams at various NASA centers and universities continue all year, culminating in the annual desert test. This process means problems are rooted out before helping to ensure these new technologies will be ready for the next giant leap in human space exploration. Its surreal to see the crew members walking around like they will on the moon again and someday on Mars, taking rock samples, reporting on what theyre doing, etc., Seibert said. It just feels like youre there. For more on the Desert RATS and more photos, go to www.nasa.gov/mission_ pages/exploration/mmb/ ksc_drats.html Its surreal to see the crew members walking around like they will on the moon again and someday on Mars, taking rock samples, reporting on what theyre doing . It just feels like youre there. Marc Seibert, KSC communications, networking engineer This close-up reveals a exible dust screen with a set of electrodes made of a transparent conductive oxide thin-lm material. The RATS tested the technology for possible use in future spacesuits.

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Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS Jan. 11, 2008 Scene around Kennedy Space Center InDyne Cable Department technicians work along NASA Causeway to remove telephone cables from the underground manhole system. A bald eagle perches on a pole on Launch Pad 39A, seemingly monitoring the instruction of the space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 crew on slidewire basket operation, part of the emergency exit system on the xed service structure of the pad. A dolphin surfaces in the Launch Complex 39 Area turn basin at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. A bobcat hangs out near the NASA Railroad tracks. Not as large as a panther, but about as big as a medium-sized dog, male and female bobcats average 39 inches and 36 inches in length, and 24 pounds and 15 pounds in weight, respectively. A sandhill crane is on the lookout in a parking lot near the Headquarters Building.

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Send unique story ideas and interesting photos of workers in action for possible pub lication. Photos should include a short caption describing whats going on, with names and job titles, from left to right. Send e-mail to KSC-Spaceport-News@mail.nasa.gov Spaceport News wants your photos Page 5 SPACEPORT NEWS Jan. 11, 2008 Scene around Kennedy Space Center Enjoying a moment during space shuttle Discoverys rollout are, from left, Alfredo Lopez (electrical engineer), Christy Layton (mechanical engineer) and Edsel Sanchez (electrical engineer). An eastern diamondback rattlesnake warms in the sun near the NASA News Center at Kennedy Space Center. The diamondback is Floridas larg est venomous snake. A Florida snapping turtle rests on Beach Road, near Kennedy Space Center. This turtle, related to the common snapping turtle, is found only in Florida and Georgia. It is considered a dangerous turtle because it can snap very quickly with its extremely strong jaws. InDyne cable technician Steve Leger splices an 1800 pair cable in the CD&SC communica tions vault. Leger was voted InDyne Employee of the Year for 2007.

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Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS Jan. 11, 2008 A FEW good women take stock in children T he stockings were placed in the car trunks with care in front of Kennedy Space Centers Headquarters Building on Dec. 14. They were chock full of goodies for Brevard County fami lies in need just in time for the holidays. It wasnt Santas efforts, but those of the Federally Employed Women that paid off as workers lined up in their cars to drop off the stock appropriate toys, school supplies, non-perishable snacks, gift cards, toiletries and stuffed animals for children ranging in age from newborn to 15 years. Kennedy work according to Cassandra Getter, the groups com munity outreach coordina tor. When those ran out, they switched to gift bags, wrapped gifts and decorat for delivery to the Salva tion Armys distribution center in Rockledge. Getter is a manage ment support assistant to the Electrical Division of the Engineering Director ate. She has coordinated outreach efforts for the organization, also known as FEW, for two years and estimates Kennedys efforts have helped about 350 fam ilies each holiday season. Kennedy is the largest provider of stockings to the Salvation Army in this county, Getter said. It means a lot to know that children who otherwise would not receive gifts and necessities were afforded the opportunity with the help of our wonderful workers. Salvation Army Major Sharon Owens said Ken nedy employees always provide great support for the kids. Im amazed each year, Owens said. Were very blessed. FEWs other efforts in 2007 included a food and South Brevard Sharing Centers before Thanksgiv ing and awarding $6,000 in college scholarships. By Linda Herridge Staff Writer T he normally cor porate-looking Learning Institute at Kennedy Space Center was transformed into a festive winter wonderland for the 2007 Holiday Coffee, com pliments of NASA senior management. About 800 civil servant and contractor employees made their way into the building along a lollipop-lined pathway on Dec. 14. They were greeted by a Kennedy Visitor Com plex spaceman and cheer ful elves, and enjoyed a display of gifts centered in the middle of a toy train track. If that wasnt enough to get employees in the holiday spirit, plenty of pastries, cookies, apple cider and coffee helped. Secondand third-shift workers were able to attend an evening version Dec. 13. I enjoy networking and getting to see people I dont see often. Its also a good break that gets people refreshed and ready to work hard before the holidays, said Pam West, an information manager Holiday Coffee serves up seasons spirit Staff Writer within the Launch Services Program. Several teams of employees helped organize the get-together, which moved this year. In the facilities such as the Headquarters Building. According to special events coordinator Patti Phelps, the new location went over well. She also said these gatherings are important for workers because they boost morale and provide an opportunity for holiday fellowship. Retired workers also Coffee. Walt Feitshans, who has been retired for design engineering, enjoys returning to stay connected to NASA. I like to come back to learn about the people, new programs and new facilities, he said. This event is important because I can touch base with people I havent seen in a while, and see how their lives have changed, what theyre doing and where theyre going. With the help of a toy drive led by Chickasaw Nation Industries at Kennedy Space Center and the city of Cocoa, more than 200 Cocoa children were given a Christmas gift. Among those helping were: Mary Sharpe, left, Billy McMillan, Casee Barber, Jennifer Monroe-Boggs and Becky Wilhelm. Donations buy toys for tots Tom Hammond, in front of the astronaut, visits with retirees who attended the 2007 Holiday Coffee last month. Special events coordinator Patti Phelps said the event was an overwhelming success. Renee Debing of Information Technology, left, and Northrup Grumman Property Management Specialist Arlene Broderick help load donations for delivery to the Salvation Armys distribution center in Rockledge.

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Remembering Our Heritage By Kay Grinter Reference Librarian Page 7 SPACEPORT NEWS Jan. 11, 2008 The Lunar Module Spider ascent stage is photographed from the Command/Service Module on the fth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The Lunar Modules descent stage already had been jettisoned. I n January 1968, NASA met a major milestone on the path to explore the moon. Apollo 5 launched Jan. 22 from Cape Canav erals Launch Pad 37B on an unmanned mission to test the lunar module in Earths orbit. The countdown was delayed almost four hours by ground equipment mal functions, but liftoff came at 5:48 p.m. EST. This lunar module designed to land two astronauts on the moon and return them safely to the command and service module for their trip home. The lunar module was the last major piece of Apollo hardware on the schedule to be tested in space. The command module was tested alone in July 1966, and with the service module in August 1966 and November 1967. The Saturn IB launch vehicle used for the mis sion had been slated to boost the Apollo 1 crew into orbit. It stood under the capsule on Launch Complex 34 at the time of March, it was dismantled, inspected for corrosion or any other damage it might have sustained, and then erected on Complex 37 in April. Don Phillips was NASAs test supervi sor and in charge of all operations at Complex 37. We were in the height of the Cold War and had all the schedule pressure you can imagine to meet John Kennedys before this decade is out mandate, he recalled. Our job was the total integration of the vehicle with the facilities and the Range. We also interfaced with mission control in Houston. We had a very dedi cated and veteran launch team made up of NASA and contractor person nel. Most of the team that worked on Launch Complex 34 moved over to Complex 37 with the vehicle. One member of the team was Bill Criddle, NASAs lead test conduc tor for the lunar module. Now retired, he recalled from his home on Mer ritt Island: NASA sent a group of electrical, mechanical and systems engineers to the Grumman facility in Beth Page, N.Y., on Long Island, where the lunar module was built. We spent six weeks check ing out the lunar module to determine if it was interfacing properly with the ground support equip ment before it was shipped to Kennedy. The control room for the lunar module was in the Operations and Check out Building in Kennedys Industrial Area, not at the pad, Criddle explained. The control room was also used to check out the lunar module in the high bay after it arrived at Ken nedy, before it was trans ported to the pad. One of our primary concerns was the charge on its batteries, which were not activated until just before launch. Another member of the team was Gene Sestile, NASAs lead test conduc tor for the Saturn IB launch vehicle. He is also retired and lives in Titusville. Dr. Hans Gruene was head of Launch Vehicle Operations, Sestile remi nisced. He was the most senior man at KSC on both the Saturn I and Saturn V launch vehicle develop ment programs and was always an absolute gentle man. Launch Director Rocco Petrone was a strong leader and an absolute force, Sestile noted. He had an unbelievable intellect and demanded excellence. When he asked you a ques tion, if you didnt know the answer, youd better say you didnt know but Sestile believes that no one individual was more responsible than Petrone for achieving President Kennedys goal of land ing on the moon in that decade. Although the lunar modules descent propul sion system engine shut down prematurely after only four seconds because of overly conservative computer programming, NASA pronounced the Apollo 5 mission a suc cess. The primary mission objectives to prove the structural integrity of the lunar module and verify the operation in space of its descent and ascent pro pulsion systems, including restart were met. Apollo 5 took small step toward moon mission 40 years ago: Lunar Module passes The highlight of NASAs 10th anniversary year in 1968 was the success of the carefully planned series of Apollo missions, including Apollo 5 to qualify the lunar lander. Did you know?

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John F. Kennedy Space Center Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Philman Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frank Ochoa-Gonzales Copy editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corey Schubert Editorial support provided by InDyne, Inc. Writers Group. NASA at KSC is on the Internet at www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy USGPO: 733-049/600142 Spaceport News Spaceport News is an ofcial publication of the Kennedy Space Center and is published on alternate Fridays by External Relations in the interest of KSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted three weeks before publication to the Media Services Branch, IDI-011. E-mail submissions can be sent to KSC-Spaceport-News@mail.nasa.gov Looking ahead Under review Launch from KSC: Endeavour STS-123 Oct. 28 NET April 24 March 29 NET May 16 Launch from KSC: Discovery STS-124; at 8:26 a.m. Launch from CCAFS: Delta II Mission: GLAST Launch from KSC: Atlantis STS-125; at 8:24 a.m. NET July 20 NET Aug. 7 KSC All-American Picnic Launch from CCAFS: Delta IV Mission: GOES-O NET Sept. 18 NET Dec. 1 Launch from KSC: Endeavour STS-126; at 8:08 p.m. Launch from CCAFS: Atlas V Mission: SDO Launch from CCAFS: Atlas V Mission: LRO/LCROSS Launch from KSC: Atlantis, STS-122 Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS Do you have an exciting photo taken at Kennedy Space Center or a great idea for a story? Spaceport News wants you to share it. We want to highlight the people and places that make up the spaceport. Photos should include a short caption with the names and job titles of those pictured, from left to right, and be at least 300 dpi. Send them to KSC-Spaceport-News@mail.nasa.gov Dont forget! Spaceport News wants your photos, feedback Jan. 11, 2008 NASA Employees of the Month: January Employees of the Month for January are, from left, Shelley Ford (PH), Launch Vehicle Processing Directorate; Alex Biamonte (VA), Launch Services Program; Darren Gibson (SA), Safety & Mission Assurance Directorate; Cicely Simmons (OP), Procurement Ofce; Elaine Brabaw (IT), Information Technology & Communications Services; Joshua Manning (KT), Applied Technology Directorate; Sandra L. Loucks (NE), Engineering Directorate; Kelli McCoy (LX), Constellation Project Ofce. Not pictured are Lorene B. Williams (NE) and Engineering Directorate; and Beth Smith (TA), Center Operations. From STS-122 Page 1 wasnt provided for their travels. Unable to pay their expenses, the soldiers remained at the port while they longed to be with their families. Some of the soldiers hadnt seen their families since serving in Iraq, Kuwait and Af ghanistan. Thats when several NASA workers and contractors came to gether in the spirit of the holidays. They raised enough money to cover car and fuel expenses for the soldiers to return home to Virginia and then back to the port to await the orbiters launch. It is still unclear how long the ship and its crew will remain at Donations get troops home for holidays NET March 13 Launch from CCAFS: Delta II Mission: GPS IIR-19 Under review the port. The suspected faulty connec tor was sent to NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., where its undergoing rigor ous testing. Shannon said he is issue will be resolved. Atlantis remains at the launch nector is completed. The shuttle will carry the European-built Columbus laboratory to the Inter national Space Station. research and space experiments and Atlantis seven astronauts will spend much of their two weeks in orbit installing Columbus to the station. The Delta IV rst stage that will be used to launch the GOES-O satellite moves away from the barge after being ofoaded on the dock on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be transported to Complex 37. The satellite is part of the series developed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Program, a joint effort of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA. Sittin on the dock NET July 16 Launch from CCAFS: Delta II Mission: STSS Demo NET Feb. 16, 2009 Launch from CCAFS: Delta II Mission: Kepler